A fully automated, integrated, end-to-end synchronized and compact manufacturing system produces polymer or metal case ammunition. Manufacturing stations support case assembly, sealing (gluing/welding), final product inspection, cartridge packaging or binning, and loading. Station modularity facilitates rapid changeover to accommodate ammunition of differing calibers. Sensors and apparatus may be provided to place a manufacturing cell in a wait state until all components or materials are received in a preferred orientation for proper assembly. The system may join and use multipart cases, each including a lower portion with a head end attached thereto and at least one upper portion having a necked-down transition to the open top end. Elevator feeders, vibratory bowl feeders, and robotic pick-and-place feeders may be used to deliver components for assembly.

A bullet reload device includes a base, a roller seat, a roller and a flexible connection member. The grooves formed between the blades of the roller only let the bullets in the correct direction fall in, so that the bullets in the correct direction can move in a row. The line-up track of the base has a guide rail set therein, so that the extractor grooves of bullets can follow the guide rail to scroll from top to bottom in the line-up track without turning the direction, and thus, bullets can be neatly arranged in the line-up track. The flexible connection member is provided with a pressure plate connected to the roller seat by tension springs, so that pressing the pressure plate with the palm can conveniently apply force to move the flexible connection member downward along the non-linear line-up track to push the bullets into the magazine.

Disclosed are processes for loading a cartridge such as a shot shell with a shot load and a charge of buffer material. The processes employ a tube that is coaxially aligned with the axis of the cartridge case or shot cup, the tube having an outer diameter that closely fits into the inner diameter of the cartridge case or shot cup. Shot and buffer material are loaded, the leading edge of the tube is inserted to a sufficient depth to cause at least a portion of the shot load and buffer material to rise into the inner volume of the tube, and the tube removed. The insertion-removal cycle effects the efficient mixing of the shot and the buffer material and can be repeated as many times as desired.

An ammunition press for manufacturing or reloading ammunition cartridges. The ammunition press includes an adjustable shell holder for holding ammunition shells (sometimes called cases) of various sizes. A catch tray is provided for collecting spent primers or other debris. According to a user's preference, the ammunition press can be customized to provide an over-center actuated configuration or a non-over-center actuated configuration. A light is integrated with the press for illuminating the shell holder. Components of the press and associated methods are also disclosed.

A discrete empty casing feeder for a cartridge reloader is controlled electronically by a control module. Empty casings are loaded on top of each other in a conventional feeder tube and are gravity fed through the feeder tube onto an upper rotating carousel. The discrete empty casing drops into a cylinder in the upper carousel and the carousel and casing rotate until the casing reaches a hole in the floor under the upper carousel. The discrete empty casing drops onto a solenoid lever in a tube. When the typical lower turret is raised mechanically, a sensor detects that the lower turret and push ram are in the correct position. The trap lever opens and drops the empty shell casing into a slot in the front of the push ram. The push ram then pushes the correctly oriented discrete casing onto the conventional turret. As the shell casings go through a normal reloading cycle, a fully loaded cartridge is ejected from the lower turret and the entire process begins again.

An automated machine for organizing and feeding cylindrical products includes a conveyor to space apart the cylindrical products. A pair of elongated rollers is disposed downstream from the conveyor to orient the cylindrical products in the same direction. A miter wheel disposed downstream of the pair of elongated rollers transfers the cylindrical products from the pair of rollers to a vertical accumulation chamber while changing the orientation of the cylindrical products from a vertical alignment to a horizontal alignment. The cylindrical products are discharged from the vertical accumulation chamber to a take away conveyance. Operation of the components of the automated machine can be controlled by a computer. Optical sensors can be employed to monitor flow of the cylindrical products through the automated machine during operation.

A fully automated, integrated, end-to-end synchronized and compact manufacturing system produces polymer or metal case ammunition. Manufacturing stations support case assembly, sealing (gluing/welding), final product inspection, cartridge packaging or binning, and loading. Station modularity facilitates rapid changeover to accommodate ammunition of differing calibers. Sensors and apparatus may be provided to place a manufacturing cell in a wait state until all components or materials are received in a preferred orientation for proper assembly. The system may join and use multipart cases, each including a lower portion with a head end attached thereto and at least one upper portion having a necked-down transition to the open top end. Elevator feeders, vibratory bowl feeders, and robotic pick-and-place feeders may be used to deliver components for assembly.

A primer feed system, includes a feed bowl having a first end and a second end, an oscillation mechanism coupled to the feed bowl for imparting an oscillating movement to the feed bowl, and a feed ramp coupled to the second end of the feed bowl for supplying primers from the feed bowl to a cartridge reloading device, and at least one primer position sensor positioned adjacent the feed ramp, wherein the primer position sensor senses orientation of primers in the feed ramp.

The herein described Table Top Priming Machine for Small Caliber Ammunition provides a simple, safe, and more precise means to produce reliable ammunition than other priming machines in the prior art. The Table Top Priming Machine uses a unique rotary disk assembly to hold cases as the machine installs primers into the cases. Gravity assists with securing cases in the disk assembly and promotes ejection of the finished cases. The compact construction of the machine makes the machine accessible for individuals or manufactures with limited space to create consistent ammunition at high speeds with limited space. Furthermore, the machine's design allows for any end user to assemble and maintain the machine with general hand tools, which obviates the need for specialized maintenance from the manufacturer.

A powder compaction device is disclosed. The device has a drive motor operable connected to a compaction rod that moves through a loading platform to a cartridge holding platform. A powder loading station is positioned below the loading platform and above the cartridge holding platform. The compaction rod moves through the powder loading station, which loads a predetermined volume of propellant powder into one or more reliefs defined in the compaction rod. The cartridge holding platform has a removable cartridge fixture designed to receive an ammunition cartridge to be loaded and compacted with propellant powder. The propellant powder is released into the cartridge fixture from the reliefs as the compaction rod passes a funnel defined at an upper end of the fixture. After releasing the powder, the compaction rod continues into an interior chamber of the fixture to compact the powder contained therein.